Osprey Men-at-Arms 174 : The Korean War 1950-1953

The Korean peninsula, 450 miles long and averaging 160 miles wide, is about the size of Great Britain or Southern California. Some 3,000 small islands ring the coast; and the Yalu and Tumen Rivers separate it from the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The countryside is mostly forest, and the Taebaek mountain range forms a central spine close to the east coast. In summer there is a blinding heat, choking dust and monsoon thunderstorms; in winter, bitter cold. At 4am (Korean time) on Sunday 25 June 1950 powerful North Korean forces invaded South Korea, advancing down the Uijongbu Corridor, the historic invasion route, towards the Southern Capital of Seoul, in a determined attempt to reunite Korea by force. South Korean troops resisted bravely, but were crushed by overwhelming Northern superiority. Later that day the United Nations Security Council condemned the aggression, and on 7 July appointed US General of the Army Douglas MacArthur to command UN forces which would be sent to save South Korea. The Soviet Union, which had been boycotting UN meetings, missed the chance to veto the decision. Nigel Thomas and Peter Abbott explore the history of this conflict, which pitted UN forces against the People's Republic of China in a war which resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties. The text is accompanied by numerous photographs and illustrations, and eight full page colour plates by Mike Chappell, detailing the uniforms of the various forces involved.

Contents

• The Course of the War
• North Korea
• South Korea
• United States of America
• British Commonwealth
• Other United Nations Contingents
• People's Republic of China
• The Plates